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FOXBORO - Wes Welker was called "The Natural" by one of his college coaches years ago, and no one who has seen him play for the Patriots this year would disagree with the assessment.

Football seems to come naturally to the Patriots' new slot receiver and returner. That was seen by Art Briles, then an assistant at Texas Tech when Welker was there, and it's no less true today.

"He's at the University of Houston now," said Welker of Briles, then the running backs at Texas Tech. "When I came on a recruiting visit, my parents got there before me - they drove down, I flew - and they met Coach Briles there and (he) asked, 'You're The Natural's parents?' My mom kind of sat there and she's like, 'Yeah, we're the natural birth parents.' He said, 'No, no, no. He's The Natural. He kicks, he returns kicks, he does all this different stuff.'

"He saw that from my high school tapes. So ever since then he kind of dubbed me that name in college," he said.

It's a premise of latter-day American folklore, fostered by the movie about the fictional baseball player, Roy Hobbs (portrayed by Robert Redford), that some athletes are just naturally gifted to play their games but don't always have the opportunity to fulfill their promise. So it might have been for Welker had he remained mired on the roster of the dreadful Miami Dolphins - blessed with the gifts to be one of the leading receivers in the National Football League, but without the forum (or the quarterback) to make it happen.

To that end, when he arrived in Foxboro after his trade to the Patriots, fellow newcomer Donté Stallworth didn't even know who he was - even though Stallworth lives in Miami.

"Yeah, we've talked about it before," Welker said Wednesday in front of his locker at Gillette Stadium. "He didn't really know who I was, so we've joked around about it. It's been kind of funny."

Now, everyone knows who Wes Welker is. More and more people are figuring out that the 5-foot-9, 185-pound individual sitting in the restaurant next to them is one heck of a football player.

That's a little unnerving, Welker said.

"It's kind of weird," he said. "Even like when we get a free meal, you feel you have to tip that much more. I really try to keep an even keel and not really get caught up in all that and just focus on playing ball and not really focus on the other stuff that comes with it."

Through nine games, as the Patriots prepare to play the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium this Sunday night (8:15 p.m.; Ch. 7, 10), Welker has a team-leading 61 catches (third best in the NFL) for 651 yards and seven touchdowns. He has been almost as adept at his returns, with 20 punt returns for 232 yards (11.6-yard average) and six kickoff returns for 157 yards (26.2-yard average).

"I try not to even look at it," he said of the statistical ledger. "The only reason I know how many catches and stuff I have is people have told me. I don't want to look at it. I don't really care about it. I just want to go out there, play ball, execute my plays and do the best I can do every play I'm out there."

Yet as much as Welker is happy that he was given the "Natural" label in college, he said it's not really an accurate reflection of the ability and work that has gone into becoming a successful NFL wide receiver.

"I have some ability, too," he said. "You don't get this far without a little bit of ability. So I feel hard work plays a big role. Zach (Thomas, Miami middle linebacker) and I used to talk about it. Zach was never a beast or anything, but he still had some talent. He was a good player. Just because I'm undersized and under this and under that, I've still been a good football player." Welker also cited the help of former Charger and Patriot Tim Dwight with showing him the path toward success.

"When I first came into the league, Tim Dwight was in San Diego and he definitely helped me along with running routes and using my quickness and different things like that," said Welker, who broke in with the Chargers in 2004. "He gave me a lot of knowledge of the game."

One important thing he learned was to pay no attention to the stereotypes of what a good NFL wide receiver was supposed to be, and to just go out and play.

"Once you start thinking about you're not big enough, you're not this, you're not that and you start believing that, then you're kind of screwed," he said. "So you've got to make sure you keep doing the things you're supposed to do on a daily basis."

That's how he and his teammates are approaching the challenge of the 5-4 Bills, who have improved significantly since suffering a 38-7 loss at Gillette Stadium in Week Three.

"They've got a great defense, they've got great special teams, they run the ball successfully, they have some dangerous receivers and they're a team that you really have to bring your 'A' game just to have a chance to beat them," Welker said.

Admittedly, the experience of playing on an undefeated team that is dead-center in the national spotlight is something new for Welker. But he said he has plenty of people around him to offer tips on how to handle it.

"We have a lot of great leaders, a lot of veterans on this team who do a great job of making sure that this stuff doesn't faze us," he said. "We're just ready to play football, that's what it's all about."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com